Education
Assessment and Accountability Review Subcommittee

Minutes
of the<MeetNo1>Ninth Meeting

of the 2001 Interim

<MeetMDY1>November 6, 2001

The<MeetNo2>ninth meeting of the Education Assessment
and Accountability Review Subcommittee was held on<Day>Tuesday,<MeetMDY2>November
6, 2001, at<MeetTime>1:45 PM, in<Room>Room 131 of the Capitol Annex. Representative
Harry Moberly, Presiding Chair, called the meeting to order, and the secretary
called the roll.

Representative Karem moved for approval of the minutes from
the October 2, 2001, meeting and Representative Marzian seconded the motion.
The motion carried by voice vote.

Representative Moberly asked Dr. Ken Henry, Office of
Education Accountability (OEA), to discuss the annual report. Dr. Henry said
that the OEA reviewed the response from the Department of Education and had
made some changes. He said the department disagreed with the recommendations to
give school councils the authority to hire staff. They also disagreed with the
recommendation to have the regional service centers to monitor the primary
program.

Senator Kelly said that the subcommittee would like to see a
draft of a new report format. He expressed concern that the current report
makes recommendations and puts the subcommittee in the position of having to
accept every recommendation in the report. He said that he would like to see a
new format that sets out an issue that OEA identifies as an important issue,
some background discussion, and then some options for recommendations. He said
that then, when the committee accepts the report, it will be after discussion
which may drive further debate among the committee. He said that all the recommendations
should follow the same format. He said that under statute, OEA is required to
provide an opportunity for response to affected parties prior to the report
becoming public and he would like to see a process for that review. He said
that in the future the subcommittee would like to see who had reviewed it and
the response.

Senator Kelly made a motion for re-formatting the annual
report in accordance with the previous discussion and Senator Karem seconded
the motion. The motion carried by voice vote.

Representative Moberly asked Dr. Henry to present the
workplan. Dr. Henry said that the examination of current practices addressing
statutory duties looked for means to improve functions, and address new
statutory duties that requires the Education Assessment and Accountability
Review Subcommittee’s (EAARS) direction and approval. He said that the staff
assignment by functional responsibility within OEA drew upon individual
expertise and experience. He said that the first part of the workplan relates to
school district monitoring noting that OEA usually visits approximately ten
percent of the districts. He said that other monitoring includes research of
the effects of the reform, the Kentucky Board of Education, Educational
Professional Standards Board, the Educational Cooperatives, and reports from
the Commissioner of Education and the Kentucky Department of Education. He said
that the review of the finance system is a three-part review of equity,
adequacy, and the impact of formulaic weights.

Senator Karem said that OEA should make the work plan
simpler by telling the subcommittee three or four issues that are important.
Senator Kelly suggested that the current workplan tells what OEA should be
doing, but it does not tell the subcommittee what is going to happen in the
next year or what subjects will be issues, so that priorities can be set.

Senator Karem made the motion that Dr. Henry and OEA be
directed to bring back some important areas for the subcommittee to concentrate
on within the boundaries of the duties as stated in the workplan.
Representative Marzian seconded the motion. After a brief discussion the motion
was approved by voice vote.

Senator Karem said that if the subcommittee is to be an
agent of change, there needs to be interaction with OEA. Representative Moberly
said there needs to be a continuing pattern of over-site dialog with the
subcommittee.